CAG can audit government funds: T M Thomas Isaac

TNN | Sep 25, 2019, 09:54 IST

T M Thomas Isaac

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has the powers to audit the expenditure of the funds from government exchequer, finance minister T M Thomas Isaac said. Inaugurating a seminar organized by the state audit department on Tuesday, the minister said the question now is whether the funds of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) should be audited or not. He said that there is no scope for a debate on it. “There is an auditor for auditing the accounts of KIIFB. But the Constitution assures the right for CAG to inspect all accounts, including those of KIIFB,” Isaac said. He said the local fund audit department should not only audit the income, expenditure and procedural lapses, but also whether the project met expectations. There is a strong relevance for reconstituting the audit department as audit commission, he said. The state government is currently under criticism for not giving permission for CAG to undertake a statutory audit in KIIFB, that will not only audit the funds provided by the government, but also the funds raised by the KIIFB, the utilization of such funds and the salaries and service conditions of the employees of KIIFB.